


Late Night Ambush

by ChubuPeng



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Bugs & Insects, Cuddling, Fear of Bugs/Insects, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, breakdowns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25645273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubuPeng/pseuds/ChubuPeng
Summary: If you were to tell Ouma that he was going to die tonight, he would’ve looked you dead in the eyes with a blank expression before laughing right in your face, probably calling you stupid and saying a supreme leader like him wouldn’t be cornered so easily, and then walking off with his hands behind his head.Unfortunately for the supreme leader, it seemed that tonight he was not going to live to see another day. Ouma was minding his own business, at probably 2 AM, when he was suddenly ambushed in his room.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 19
Kudos: 133





	1. Cornered

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by a recent experience haaha, also me projecting hard onto both characs maybe  
> first time writing a v3 fic go easy on me...sorry if ooc, writing is hard...

If you were to tell Ouma that he was going to die tonight, he would’ve looked you dead in the eyes with a blank expression before laughing right in your face, probably calling you stupid and saying a supreme leader like him wouldn’t be cornered so easily, before walking off with his hands behind his head.    
  
Unfortunately for the supreme leader, it seemed that tonight he was not going to live to see another day. Ouma was minding his own business, at probably 2 AM, when he was suddenly ambushed in his room.    
  
He figured some god must have had enough of him and wanted to rid him of his existence. If he knew things were going to turn out this way, maybe he should have joined in on Angie’s prayer sessions. He silently cursed in his head before focusing his attention on the threat in his room.   
  
Ouma could easily dart past his enemy. After all, he was known to be quick on his feet. He remembers the time he had to run from Momota when the supreme leader doodled on the astronaut-in-training’s face as he was sleeping.    
  
  
However, right now he didn’t know what his attacker was capable of. If he made one wrong move, he would be done for. Ouma tried to come up with a strategy, but with how much his heart was racing and how rapid his breathing was, his thoughts were currently all over the place.    
  
His mind was screaming at him to get out, but instead Ouma found himself stuck where he stood. Every time he tried to move, he didn't commit to it and suddenly he was back to where he started. It was like some sticky bubble gum was keeping him trapped in that same spot. Ouma bites his thumbnail in frustration. He stood next to the end of his bed and his eyes kept wandering towards his only exit.   
  
He shook his head to try to clear his head. No, he could do this. He could  _ definitely _ do this. After all, an evil supreme leader like him shouldn’t be afraid, especially of some dumb bug.    
  
  
Wait, did you think his attacker was human?   
  
Ouma did not know what kind of bug was currently in his room. The thing had long legs, a long body, and the worst of all, wings. It kind of looked like a mosquito, but it was way too big to be a mosquito. Ouma may not have much knowledge on insects, but he knew enough to know that this thing was not one. At this point, he might even prefer it to be the bloodsucking insect.    
  
Well, whatever it was, it was gross and disgusting and it needed to be gone.  _ Immediately _ .    
  
Ouma was never a fan of bugs. That was Gonta’s department. Bugs were always unpredictable. You’d never know if they would suddenly start flying or when they’d start moving when they looked incredibly still just a few seconds ago. And some of them are pretty fast, and if you get too close to them, what if they manage to crawl up your leg or jump onto you?   
  
The thought of that makes Ouma’s skin crawl. He hugged himself, rubbing his arms to get rid of this gross feeling on him. He let his arms fall to his side and took in a breath to try to calm himself down. He kept worriedly glancing at the insect which was still stationary on the wall next to his door.   
  
  
_ Good, it hasn’t moved _ .    
  
Ouma considered throwing something at it. Maybe a book, or perhaps even an empty Panta bottle. He had a lot of those since he kept forgetting to take them into the nearest recycling bin.   
  
_ Yeah _ _ ,  _ he thought.  _ That’s a great idea. _ He quickly glanced around his room for a suitable object before realizing the flaws in his plan.    
  
What if he missed? Or what if a gross stain was left behind on his wall? Ouma shuddered at the thought. He really didn’t want bug guts on his wall. Now that he thought about it, would an empty plastic bottle even be enough to kill a bug that size?  _ No, it probably wouldn’t. _ . Insects like these were pretty resilient. These fuckers somehow always don’t end up dying when they should.   
  
The supreme leader ran his hands through his hair. He really didn't know what to do and as each second passed, it became more difficult for him to stay calm and think things out rationally.    
  
As he continued to panic internally, the monster suddenly moved. Ouma flinched,  _ hard _ , and let out an embarrassing shriek. Hopefully he wasn’t too loud. He didn’t need anybody barging in—though part of him wished someone would barge in to save him—to see him when he’s at his most vulnerable.    
  
It flew around his room at such a speed that Ouma’s eyes couldn’t keep up with it. His breathing quickly sped up when he realized he had lost sight of the darn insect. His head whipped around as he tried to find out where the hell the thing went.    
  
Nothing freaked him out more than not knowing where a bug has gone. He didn’t notice the tears streaming down his face until they dripped from his chin and fell down onto his carpeted floor. He choked down a sob as he considered how pathetic he was in this situation. How could a measly insect reduce him to such a state?   
  
  
_ Wait a minute _ . Ouma’s eyes widened in realization. With all his panicking, Ouma forgot that his door was unguarded. This was it! This was his opportunity to escape!    
  
With a threat in his room, Ouma figured his room was no longer safe for him to stay in. He needed to leave. Trying to sleep with a bug roaming around in his room was not good for his poor heart. He glanced at his door, eyes darting around the walls and ceiling over there to make sure the coast was clear, before making his escape.    
  
Ouma grabbed the door knob and whipped open the door with such force before dashing out of his room. He winced when he heard it slam into his wall with a loud thud, hoping that it didn’t wake anybody up. Kiibo might complain about it later, since he was a pretty light sleeper, but Ouma didn’t care at the moment.    
  
The supreme leader’s legs eventually took him to someone’s dorm. Ouma was slightly out of breath, though most of that was due to his near death experience than his trip over here. He slowly looked up at the door with blurry vision to see the familiar name plate and icon of his beloved detective. Ouma let out a small laugh, a slight smile forming as his feet have subconsciously taken him to Saihara’s dorm room.    
  
Knowing him, Saihara was most likely still up at this hour, probably working on some cases. His beloved often forgets to sleep whenever he’s had a breakthrough. Ouma tended to tease him when he zoned out at the dining table during breakfast time. Seeing Saihara get all flustered and apologizing for falling asleep at the table was pretty cute. The image of his beloved in his mind helped calm him down a little.   
  
Part of Ouma worried that Saihara wasn’t awake and he was probably wasting his time being here, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. Plus he really didn’t want to go back to his room where a threat still lurked.    
  
Thinking about the insect sent him into a slight panic once again, with the trembling already making its way back. Ouma shook his head, making up his mind and decided to go ahead and raise his shaking hand to the door, giving it a few quiet knocks.   
  
He took a deep breath and quickly wiped away (most of) his tears, and made sure to put on his best grin for the detective. He clasped his hands behind his back as he awaited for the door to open.


	2. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I mean, you’ve always told me and the others that we shouldn’t lie to ourselves and hide our emotions, right?” Saihara offered Ouma a small smile, though Ouma wasn’t able to see this as he couldn’t meet the detective’s gaze. 
> 
> Saihara reached over to take one of Ouma’s hands in his, holding onto it gently. “I promise I wouldn’t think any less of you for whatever you’re about to say. So please… Could you trust me?” After a second, Ouma’s fingers closed around his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> buckle in things are gonna get a bit angsty but dont worry, theres a lot of fluff and wholesomeness after!
> 
> im p tired from writing this so haha if theres any mistakes pls tell me lol
> 
> edit Aug 11, 2020, fixed how shuichi refers to gonta: sooo apparently most of the cast refers to gonta w/ his first name (with an exception of a few) aaa this gets way too confusing to keep track of

If you had to ask him what it was like being the Ultimate Detective, Saihara would say that it gets pretty grueling. Now, that’s not to say he didn’t enjoy what he did. After all, it was quite fun figuring out some of the challenging cases that he gets.  
  
However, once Saihara was focused on a case, he found it extremely difficult to put things down and take a break. Even if his limbs were asleep, even if his eyes were straining to stay awake and his mind was getting cloudy, he couldn’t bring himself to just quit in the middle of it. Going to bed now would just make him lose track of where he was in his thinking, and he couldn’t afford to do that.  
  
After working at his desk for several hours, Saihara had long since lost track of time. Fortunately for the detective, the dangerous amounts of caffeine in his system had been keeping him going.  
  
  
His workspace was illuminated by his laptop screen. Saihara had earbuds connected to it so he could listen to some music while he worked. Occasionally he’d search something up, but it was mainly for music. It was some classical piece that Akamatsu had recommended to him. The relaxing tune helped him with his concentration.  
  
Several case files were sprawled across his desk along with the occasional photo or two of crime scenes and victims. Off to the side was a notepad and a pen where he jotted down any ideas he came up with as he worked. With how much he usually ended up writing, he would probably need a new one pretty soon.  
  
Saihara didn’t know how many cups of coffee he went through, probably his 6th by now.  
  
The coffee had grown cold from his neglect, but the temperature of the beverage didn’t bother him as long as it did its job in keeping him awake.  
  
He reached his hand over to the handle of the mug, not taking his eyes off of the file that was held loosely in his other hand, and brought the mug up to his lips. He was about to take a sip when he heard some knocking on his door. He froze just for a second as his eyes wandered over to the door before abandoning the mug and setting it down on its coaster.  
  
Due to the detective only having one earbud in—a habit that he had slowly developed—the knocks weren’t hard to miss, no matter how faint they were.  
  
Saihara spun around in his chair, taking the earbud out, and slowly got up and made his way to the door.  
  
He wasn’t sure who could be at his room at this hour.  
  
  
It could be a new face, or maybe it was one of his friends—probably Momota—realizing he was still awake and was about to yell at him to go to sleep. The astronaut was always lecturing him on getting a good night’s rest and that pulling an all nighter wasn’t very healthy. 

  
Saihara prefered if it was someone he knew. Conversing with someone new wasn’t always his strong suit as he often stumbled over his words and failed at eye contact (he was still working on this problem of his). The detective didn’t wear his hat as much anymore, though he still found comfort in having it on top of his head sometimes, especially when it was just one of those days when his anxiety was reaching its peak.  
  
Currently his hat rested on top of his nightstand. After all, there was not much need for it since it was just him alone in his room. Well, that wouldn’t be the case any longer since he was going to have to open the door for someone.  
  
His nerves started to get the better of him since he only had a few seconds to mentally prepare himself for his visitor. Saihara blamed it on the coffee. _Yeah, it’s the coffee, definitely_ . There was no reason for him to be nervous, he just had to open the door and greet whoever was outside, whether he recognized them or not.  
  
Saihara took in a deep breath before setting his hand on the door knob, giving it a turn. He slowly opened the door, mentally telling himself to not have his eyes glued at his feet before doing so, and looked his visitor in the eyes. The detective was surprised to see a familiar face. His nerves calmed down slightly, though he was still wary since this was the Ultimate Supreme Leader.  
  
Usually when Ouma visited him, especially late at night, it wasn’t for anything good. Ouma would insist that he was here to kill him, but Saihara had quickly realized that it was just a lie. Part of the detective suspected that Ouma was just bored during these occasions and just wanted someone to entertain him for a while.  
  
“Ah, Ouma-kun?” Saihara’s eyes wandered up and down the supreme leader. He made a mental note that the shorter boy seemed a bit shaken up at the moment, if the trembling and faint tear streaks and his slightly reddened eyes weren’t any indication. The dim lights from the dorm’s hallway helped the detective notice these details. “What are you doing here? Did something happen?” Saihara asked, watching Ouma carefully.  
  
  
But at the moment, it didn’t seem that the supreme leader was up for any jokes or pranks. However, Ouma was quick to put on a mask as he realized Saihara had been studying him for the past few seconds.  
  
Ouma forced out a laugh and put on his signature grin. “Nishishi! What am _I_ doing, you ask? To bother you of course, Saihara-chan!” Ouma put his hands behind his head, trying to look as carefree as possible. 

  
Saihara exhaled. “I-Is that so…?”  
  
“Mhm!” Ouma said a bit too quickly. “Why else would I be here?”  
  
“I mean, you don’t normally visit me unless you need something,” Saihara replied.  
  
“Huh? What could I possibly need at this hour?” Ouma couldn’t hide the way his voice wavered. Even the liar must’ve known that was a terrible lie with the way he cringed as soon as the words had left his mouth. “Surely it wasn’t for an interrogation! What? Is it a crime to visit my beloved late at night?” he joked.  
  
While the boy did lie almost 24/7, there were times when he did let his mask slip. And Saihara noted that this was one of those times. After spending so much time with Ouma lately, the detective had gotten better at figuring the liar out. Despite what the others often said about him, the supreme leader was only human and experienced emotions just like the rest of them.  
  
  
“Ouma-kun…” Saihara carefully considered his next words. “...Are you okay?” he asked, concern laced in his voice.  
  
“...What makes you say that, Saihara-chan?” Ouma said slowly.  
  
Saihara rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Ah...well,” the detective’s eyes glanced down at him and couldn’t ignore how the supreme leader hadn’t stopped trembling since he arrived. “You’re trembling,” he said bluntly.  
  
Ouma stared at him with a blank face before tilting his head, feigning confusion. “Hmmm? I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he said cheerfully with a rather forced smile.  
  
 _Ah._ Saihara took this as a sign that Ouma didn’t want to talk about it. For now, at least. As much as the supreme leader tried to hide it, Saihara could tell that Ouma knew the detective could notice something was off about him and that Ouma just didn’t want to admit it. There was no point in trying to pry if he was just going to keep lying.  
  
Perhaps he could do something to take Ouma’s mind off things? Maybe then that would help him to open up more later. Surely Ouma wouldn’t be able to converse with him honestly if he was distressed. Saihara looked over towards his desk which helped him form an idea.  
  
“Then...may I ask for your help with something? I’d like some input for this case I’m working on,” Saihara asked. He mentally cringed at how he transitioned the conversation.  
  
  
Occasionally the detective did need a little boost in the right direction in some of his cases. He was quite skilled when it came to his deductions, but he still considered himself to be in training. He’d find himself comparing his skills to that of Kirigiri’s which instantly dampened his mood and self-esteem. His friends often tried to rid him of these doubts, praising him for his brilliant detective work and smart thinking, but Saihara still found it hard to believe in himself sometimes.  
  
The case in question had been giving him trouble for the past couple hours. He racked his brain for some ideas but unfortunately he was stuck at a dead end.  
  
Plus, Ouma was pretty smart. It wouldn’t hurt to listen to the ideas he’d come up with.  
  
  
Ouma seemed taken aback, as if not expecting Saihara to change the subject so suddenly. His tense shoulders began to relax. His arms fell to his side and he stared at the detective with a blank expression as he pondered the offer. “...Saihara-chan needs my help?”  
  
“I, um, you don’t have to, of course, but—” Saihara was interrupted by Ouma as he instantly perked up. The abrupt shift in expressions would be startling to anyone not used to the supreme leader’s antics.  
  
“Of course I’ll help! Anything for my beloved after all~” Ouma said playfully with a smirk. Saihara couldn’t hide the pinkness forming on his cheeks at the nickname. He supposed he should be used to Ouma calling him his “beloved” by now, but somehow it still always caught him by surprise.  
  
Ouma pushed past him and went over to his bed, plopping down dramatically. Saihara shut the door gently and joined the supreme leader after he gathered one of the case files and his notepad from his desk.  
  
Saihara’s eyes glanced between Ouma and the air conditioner that was currently on. “Oh, uh, are you feeling cold, Ouma-kun?” He saw that Ouma similarly had on a loose T-shirt and some shorts. “I could turn off the AC if you are,” Saihara offered. He was moving to get up when an arm latched onto his and pulled him back down.  
  
Ouma hummed. “Nah, it’s fine.” Instantly he perked up. “Even if I was, I could steal all the body heat from my beloved to keep warm!” Saihara flushed at ~~how cute he was being~~ Ouma’s words but didn’t further comment, instead laughing awkwardly.  
  
They shifted around on the bed to get themselves more comfortable.  
  
Ouma clung to one of his arms like a koala. His cheek rested against his shoulder while Saihara discussed the case to him. Though the detective wasn’t very fond of physical contact, he found himself not pushing the other boy away. Instead, he leaned in closer. _It was...pretty comforting, actually._ _  
__  
__Wait, what am I saying? Focus, Shuichi._ He was only doing this because he was getting chilly from the air conditioner, since it was positioned on the wall facing the bed, and the body heat emitting from the supreme leader was just hard to resist. _Yeah, that’s it,_ Saihara thought, satisfied with his reasoning.  
  
Ouma listened intently as he skimmed through the detective’s notepad. His eyes would glance at the photos whenever Saihara presented them to him. The two of them sat there for a while, _ridiculously_ close to each other in fact, as they went over the case.

* * *

“And so...that’s basically all that I’ve figured out so far,” Saihara concluded. He picked up one of the photos, showing it to Ouma. “But this message right here has been giving me a bit of trouble for a wh—”  
  
“Read it upside down,” Ouma interrupted, proceeding to look at his nails. They were painted with a nice purple gradient, most likely Amami’s doing. He flipped the notepad shut and lazily tossed it onto the bed.  
  
Saihara looked at him in confusion. “Huh?”  
  
“Read the numbers upside down,” Ouma repeated. He moved his hands over to flip the photo in Saihara’s hand upside down before placing it back between his fingers. “See? Anyone else would’ve thought they were numbers, but they’re actually letters,” Ouma pointed at the photo and it took a few seconds for it to click in Saihara’s head.  
  
“Oh! Y-you’re right! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that,” Saihara admitted. Maybe he _did_ need to sleep. Occasionally smaller details seemed to slip past him when he was sleep-deprived and running on several cups of coffee. **  
****  
**The letters which were disguised as numbers were written in English. Saihara wasn’t necessarily bad at the language, but Ouma was way more skilled at it than him, which was probably why he figured out the trick to the case much sooner. **  
****  
****“** Nishishi! Maybe all that coffee is making my beloved lose focus~” Ouma shifted his gaze over to the mug that was on his desk. Everyone seemed to know that the detective had a caffeine addiction, not like he tried to really hide it.  
  
Saihara let out a light chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah...maybe you’re right.”  
  
“This is exactly why Saihara-chan should stop staying up so late trying to solve these stupid cases!” Ouma pouted and jabbed at Saihara’s chest with his finger. “Geez, for a detective you are pretty stupid sometimes!”  
  
Saihara blinked. Was this Ouma’s way of showing concern for him? The detective found himself flushing slightly at the gesture. His hand instinctively reached up to grab at a hat that wasn’t there. He quickly realized his mistake and put his arm back down.  
  
“I guess I can’t argue with that…” Saihara sighed, letting a small smile form on his lips. He’ll admit that he did tend to get carried away with his work sometimes. Well, alright, _most of the time_ .  
  
“Nishishi! No worries, Saihara-chan! I’d still love you even if you’re dumb!”  
  
“ _L-Love?!”_ Saihara sputtered, his face somehow growing even hotter.  
  
Ouma didn’t answer, instead continuing to do his signature laugh.  
  
But Saihara couldn’t help but notice that the supreme leader seemed much more relaxed than before. He must have been feeling better if he was able to start teasing the detective again. He was glad he was able to help Ouma ease his worries.  
  
  
“Well, thanks for your help, Ouma-kun. I really appreciate it,” Saihara said as he moved off the bed—he could’ve sworn he saw Ouma’s smile falter slightly at the loss of contact—and walked over to his desk to set the case file and notepad down. He quickly picked up his pen and jotted down some of the new information he was given with Ouma’s assistance.  
  
Saihara looked at how cluttered his desk was and made a mental note to organize everything on it later. He looked back over to Ouma on the bed who now had his knees pulled up to his chest, and was currently clutching onto one of his pillows rather tightly. Ouma was eyeing him carefully with the same expression the detective saw when he first came to his door. Ouma’s brows furrowed and there was a hint of uneasiness on his face.  
  
Saihara figured now would be the best time to try to talk to Ouma about whatever problem he was having. He set the pen down and returned to his spot on the bed, sitting cross-legged across from the supreme leader.  
  
  
“So, um, Ouma-kun…” he started. Saihara nervously tapped his fingers against his leg. “Could you tell me why you’re really here? Surely it wasn’t just to, ah, ‘bother’ me?”  
  
Judging by his silence, Ouma was probably expecting Saihara to interrogate him sooner or later.

  
The detective gulped, carefully choosing his next words. “Ouma-kun… You can tell me whatever’s on your mind, you know? I mean...I sometimes do the same to you whenever I’m feeling down,” Saihara glanced up and met Ouma’s eyes for a second. The supreme leader’s expression was unreadable. Saihara wondered what was currently going on in his head.  
  
Saihara continued. “I-I know something must be bothering you...but you just don’t want to admit it. You don’t want to be seen as weak and vulnerable, right?” Saihara heard Ouma’s breath hitch and he looked away. Looked like he hit the nail right on the head.  
  
Ouma’s fists were balled up so tightly that Saihara worried he’d end up hurting himself. Saihara reached over and placed his hand on top of Ouma’s arm. Although it was faint, the detective could feel the shorter boy tremble under his hand. However, as his warm touch lingered on the supreme leader, Ouma seemed to calm down slightly.  
  
“I mean, you’ve always told me and the others that we shouldn’t lie to ourselves and hide our emotions, right?” Saihara offered Ouma a small smile, though Ouma wasn’t able to see this as he couldn’t meet the detective’s gaze.  
  
Saihara reached over to take one of Ouma’s hands in his, holding onto it gently. “I promise I wouldn’t think any less of you for whatever you’re about to say. So please… Could you trust me?” After a second, Ouma’s fingers closed around his own.  
  
  
No one said a word for a few minutes. The only sound in the room came from the hum of the air conditioner on the wall.  
  


Ouma then spoke up, not before laughing half-heartedly..“I-It’s _stupid_ …” he said in a wavering, almost inaudible voice. “A supreme leader... afraid of s-some _stupid_ bug…”  
  
It must have been painful for Ouma to be truthful here as Saihara saw his eyebrows scrunch up and his eyes starting to water. It hurt for the detective to see Ouma in such a state. He must have really been scared for him to give up so easily. 

“A bug?” Saihara questioned. He knew Ouma wasn’t a big fan of bugs, but he had never seen him react like this to one. Was it possibly because he was all alone when he encountered one this time? The other times Ouma had been in the presence of a bug was when he was with Saihara and Gokuhara in the Entomologist Research Lab. Perhaps the supreme leader was just putting on a front, making himself seem not that bothered by insects?  
  
Ouma nodded and gulped before continuing. “It was out to kill me…” he said in a low whisper.  
  
Saihara blinked at him. “T-to kill you…?” He laughed awkwardly. Surely the bug wasn’t _that_ deadly, right? “Aren’t you exaggerating a bit—”  
  
“It was out to kill me!” Ouma repeated, sounding extremely angered. This time his volume increased significantly and in the back of Saihara’s mind, he hoped Ouma didn’t wake anybody up with his outburst.  
  
Ouma clutched the pillow tightly to his chest again and huffed while glaring at the detective right in the eyes. “The way it flew around… The way it guarded the door, not letting me escape because it just _knew_ I’d be too afraid to approach it and how it _knew_ I’d be too afraid to throw anything at it…” The supreme leader trailed off as he tried to manage his breaths.  
  
Ouma closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, only to open his eyes and reveal the most betrayed look Saihara had ever seen. Tears had begun pouring out of the supreme leader’s eyes at a steady rate. _“A-And I th-thought you s-said you wouldn’t judge me, S-Saihara-chan!”_  
  
Saihara immediately regretted those words, the guilt hitting him at full force. As ironic as it was, Saihara knew that Ouma hated being lied to.  
  


“N-no, wait!” Saihara held up his hands. Ouma looked at him expectantly, angry tears still streaming down his face. While Ouma did shed crocodile tears a lot, the detective was pretty certain these were genuine. Saihara looked down at his lap and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I-I’m sorry, you’re right… That was insensitive of me—”  
  
“Nishishi! That’s alright, Saihara-chan! It was just a lie!” Ouma interrupted him, a grin appeared on his face before faltering. “No...you’re right. I might have been exaggerating a bit,” the supreme leader admitted, almost sounding defeated. But quickly his expression changed into irritation. “But still! It was _disgusting_ and it threatened my safety and it should be eliminated immediately!” 

  
Saihara let out a sigh, feeling relieved he didn’t hurt Ouma (too) much by his words. “Are you sure it deserves to die? I mean...couldn’t we....release it somewhere?”  
  
Back at home, Saihara could never bring himself to kill any insect that appeared in his room. He’d muster up the courage to always capture it and take the critter outside.  
  
Ouma looked at him in shock. “Whaaat?! Are you kidding?! What if it comes back? Or what if it manages to spawn more of its kind?!” He looked at the detective with a pout. “Sheesh, Saihara-chan...for a detective, you are pretty stupid…”  
  
Saihara understood his reasoning. After all, bugs do tend to be unpredictable at times.  
  
Saihara chuckled lightly. “Ah, I know. You told me that earlier…” His cheeks flushed slightly as he reminisced their conversation from before. “But still, as much as I don’t like bugs either, I think there are better alternatives.” Saihara thought for a moment. “Oh! Why don’t we get Gonta-kun to capture it? The bug will be gone _and_ Gonta-kun gets a new friend,” the detective offered. The entomologist always loved meeting a new insect. Saihara figured he could add it to his already abundant collection.  
  
The supreme leader narrowed his eyes and tilted his head in confusion.“Eh?” Ouma made a face as if Saihara’s suggestion disgusted him. Eventually he gave up with a sigh, rolling his eyes as well. “Fiiiiine… I guess that could work,” he muttered.

Saihara nodded. “Then it’s decided. We’ll go see Gonta-kun together in the morning.”  
  


Saihara hoped their plan would work. He really hated seeing Ouma so distressed. He’d like for the supreme leader to be able to return to his own room, though the detective wouldn’t mind if he continued staying over.  
  
“Uh-huh!” Ouma nodded enthusiastically. “O-kay! Time for bed!” Ouma let his back hit the bed. “Phew! Being interrogated by Saihara-chan sure is tiring!” And with that, Ouma turned on his side and started snoring dramatically. 

  
Saihara chuckled at the supreme leader’s playfulness. “Ouma-kun, I know you’re not asleep.”  
  
Ouma’s eyes shot open and whipped his head around to face the detective. “Nishishi! Ooh, you got me!” he giggled and proceeded to throw the pillow he was clutching at Saihara.  
  
“Ah— Hey! How rude,” Saihara was too slow to block the attack, but he still found himself laughing along with Ouma.  
  
They may or may not have had a little pillow fight for a while before the two of them grew fatigued and decided to put an end to the battle.  
  
They both took their turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed, but not before Saihara finished the rest of his coffee, saying that “ _It’d be a waste not to, and that_ _wasting coffee would be a sin_.” Ouma teased him for this and said that he’d regret it in the morning, to which he couldn’t deny.  
  
Saihara was busy getting the bed ready, fixing the covers and pillows, while Ouma was finishing up in the bathroom. After a few moments, Ouma appeared from the bathroom, turning off the light inside before rushing over and plopping onto the bed.  
  
The bed wasn’t really fit for two people, but there was still enough room for the both of them to get comfortable. Ouma realized this and took this opportunity to wrap his arms around the detective’s waist.  
  
Saihara flinched at the sudden contact before relaxing. _He could get used to this_ , he thought, finding himself smiling a bit. The two of them made some small talk before finally wishing each other good night and closing their eyes.

* * *

  
“...Saihara-chan?” Ouma said softly after a few minutes of silence.  
  
“Hm?” Saihara said groggily. He hadn’t fallen asleep yet but he could definitely feel himself growing tired. Looked like the coffee’s effects were starting to wear off. He slowly opened his eyes. Saihara couldn’t see Ouma’s expression since his face was lowered.  
  
There was a pause before the supreme leader spoke again, this time in a whisper. “...Thank you.” The arms around the detective’s waist tightened their grip as Ouma buried his face deeper into Saihara’s chest. Ouma didn’t make any additional comments after that, meaning that he was most likely being genuine here.  
  
The detective’s heart fluttered at those words. With how hard his heart was beating, Saihara was certain Ouma must have felt it as well. Saihara couldn’t hide the blush that was forming on his face. “Of course,” he replied with a soft smile. He found his arms automatically wrapping around the other under the covers, bringing Ouma even closer. Saihara rested his chin on top of the supreme leader’s head, further taking in the physical contact.  
  
With the hum of the air conditioner and each other’s embrace, the two were soon lulled into a deep sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo like i kinda figured kokichi would open up more (especially to shuichi) since ya know hes kinda scared shitless n his emotions r all over the place
> 
> aaa once again im p worried about them being ooc (since im kinda projecting onto both of them)...but what do yall think? let me know!  
> also apologies if the pacing is weird im not confident in my dialogue skills,,
> 
> comments are greatly appreciated! they help motivate me into writing more (:
> 
> thank you for reading!!
> 
> edit aug 25, 2020: hey soo i havent updated in a while, and im sorry. just been real stressed n unmotivated lately . but uhh i heard co creators were a thing sooo idk, maybe if anyones interested...... wink wink nudge nudge

**Author's Note:**

> edit (Aug 1, 2020): i changed this all to past tense since im more comfortable writing that way
> 
> if there are any typos n stuff pls let me know!
> 
> will continue this soon if enough ppl like it


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